Liquid flow control tap with inexhaustible energy-operated valve

ABSTRACT

A tap used for controlling the flow of liquid, such as water, oil, or gas, is disclosed. The liquid control tap of this invention has a valve capable of being effectively operated using inexhaustible energy, such as gravity, hydraulic pressure, buoyancy, magnetic force, frictional force, or elasticity. In the tap, a connection pipe, used for the purpose of connecting the tap body to a separate device such as a shower device, is integrated with the rear portion of the tap body into a single structure. The tap is also provided with an eccentric union for controlling the vertical position of the outlet port of the tap. Therefore, the present invention reduces the number of parts, the manufacturing process, improves productivity, and reduces the manufacturing cost of taps.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates, in general, to a tap used for controllingthe flow of liquid such as water, oil, or gas and, more particularly, toa tap provided with a valve capable of being effectively operated usinginexhaustible energy, such as gravity, hydraulic pressure, buoyancy,magnetic force, frictional force, or elasticity.

BACKGROUND ART

As well known to those skilled in the art, various types of taps usedfor controlling the flow of liquid such as water, oil, or gas areproposed and widely used. Such taps are individually provided with avalve for selectively opening or closing the liquid passage in a tap.However, such a known tap is not provided with any means forautomatically opening or closing the valve and so the valve has to bemanually operated and is inconvenient to users. In addition, such aknown tap allows a user to lose a considerable amount of liquidregardless of how carefully the user handles the tap, thus overlyconsuming the liquid. In each of the known taps, the vertical positionof a liquid outlet port is fixed. Therefore, such a known tap fails toallow a user to move the vertical position of the outlet port whennecessary. Another problem of such taps resides in that theyindividually have a connector, which is produced separately from a tapbody and is attached to the tap body for the purpose of connecting ahose or a rotatable joint for the purpose of connecting a hose or arotatable joint to the tap body. Such connectors increase the number ofparts of the taps and complicate the production process of the taps,thus increasing the manufacturing cost of the taps.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the presentinvention is to provide a liquid flow control tap, of which the valve iseffectively operated using inexhaustible energy, such as gravity,hydraulic pressure, buoyancy, magnetic force, frictional force, orelasticity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a liquid flow control tap suitable foruse with a washing stand in accordance with the primary embodiment ofthis invention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a liquid flow control tap suitable foruse with a bathtub in accordance with the second embodiment of thisinvention;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a liquid flow control tap suitable foruse with a kitchen sink in accordance with the third embodiment of thisinvention;

FIG. 1D is an exploded perspective view of a liquid junction part of thetap of this invention, at which hot liquid is mixed with cold liquid;

FIG. 1E is an exploded perspective view of a rotatable eccentric union,which is included in the tap of this invention in order to control theposition of the liquid outlet port of the tap;

FIG. 1F is a perspective view of the rotatable eccentric union of FIG.1E, with the parts of the union being assembled into a single body;

FIG. 1G is a partially broken perspective view of the tap of thisinvention;

FIG. 2A is a sectional view of the liquid flow control tap of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2B is a sectional view of the liquid flow control tap of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 2C is a sectional view of the liquid flow control tap of FIG. 1C;

FIG. 2D is a sectional view of a liquid flow control tap suitable foruse with a shower device according to an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2E is a sectional view of a liquid flow control tap suitable foruse with a shower device according to another embodiment of thisinvention;

FIG. 2F is a sectional view of the rotatable eccentric union of thisinvention;

FIG. 2G is a sectional view of the tap of this invention;

FIG. 2H is a sectional view of the liquid junction part of the tapaccording to this invention;

FIG. 3A is a sectional view showing the operation of the tap of FIGS. 1Aand 1B;

FIG. 3B is a sectional view showing the operation of the tap of FIGS. 1Band 2B;

FIG. 3C is a sectional view showing the operation of the tap of FIGS. 1Cand 2C;

FIG. 3D is a sectional view showing the operation of the tap of FIG. 2D;

FIG. 3E is a sectional view showing the operation of the tap of FIG. 2E;

FIG. 3F is a sectional view showing the operation of the rotatableeccentric union of this invention;

FIG. 3G is a sectional view showing the flow passage of hot and coldliquid in the tap of this invention;

FIG. 3H is a sectional view showing the operation of the liquid junctionpart included in the tap of this invention; and

FIG. 3I is a partially broken perspective view showing the operation ofthe tap according to this invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

For ease of description, the tap of this invention will be referred toas a water tap used for controlling the flow of city water. However, itshould be understood that the tap of this invention may be preferablyused for controlling the flow of another liquid such as oil or gas. Inaddition, the end of the tap on the right-hand side of the drawings willbe referred to as the forward end of the tap and the opposite end on theleft-hand side of the drawings will be referred to as the rear end ofthe tap.

FIGS. 1A and 2A are views showing the construction of a flow control tapsuitable for use with a washing stand in accordance with the primaryembodiment of this invention. As shown in the drawings, the flow controltap of this invention comprises a tap body 1, which has an outlet port 6at its front end. A hand lever 9, having handle 15, is assembled withthe lower portion of the tap body 1 so as to selectively operate thetap. In order to assemble the lever 9 with the tap body 1, a hook blockof the lever 9, comprised of inner and outer hook shoulders 12 and 13,is primarily received into an opening 16 of the tap body 1 prior toinserting the valve operating end 11 of the lever 9 into theinner-threaded outlet port 6 of the tap body 1. Therefore, the innershoulder 12 of the hook block is caught by a stop shoulder 14 of the tapbody 1, while the valve operating end 11 is caught by the stop shoulder10 of the outlet port 6. Thereafter, an outer-threaded member 7 isbrought into engagement with the inner thread of the outlet port 6, thusstably positioning the lever 9 with the handle 15 in the tap body 1.

In addition, a main valve 4 is seated on an annular step 2, which isformed in the water passage provided in the upper portion of the tapbody 1. A packing 3 is interposed between the step 2 and the valve 4.The valve stem 5 of the valve 4 extends toward the outlet port 6, thuscausing the end of the valve stem 5 to be seated on the valve operatingend 11 of the lever 9. A hollow cylindrical magnet 30 is arranged in thewater passage of the tap body 1, with one end of the magnet 30 beingseated on the valve 4 at a position opposite to the valve stem 5. A coilspring 75 is interposed between the valve 4 and the magnet 30, thusnormally biasing the valve 4 onto the annular step 2. The hollow magnet30 is filled with a known filtering material 135. An O-ring 134 isfitted over the magnet 30, thus sealing the gap between the inside wallof the water passage and the outside wall of the magnet 30 and guidingwater into the hollow magnet 30, and making water pass through thefiltering material 135 prior to being discharged from the outlet port 6.

A hot and cold water junction member 32, having both a hot water inlet31 and a cold water inlet 104, is provided in the tap body 1. A rotatingshaft 34, having an enlarged-diameter end 105 at its bottom end, isseated in the junction member 32, with a circular-shaped plate spring 33being interposed between the enlarged-diameter end 105 and the junctionmember 32, thus normally biasing the junction member 32 downwardly. Therotating shaft 34 also penetrates through a bearing bolt 35 at itsmiddle portion with at least one O-ring 41 being interposed between theshaft 34 and the bolt 35. The bearing bolt 35, with the shaft 34, isbrought into engagement with an internal thread, which is provided onthe top portion of the tap body 1. In such a case, an O-ring 40 isinterposed between the tap body 1 and the bolt 35, thus sealing the gapbetween the body 1 and the bolt 35.

Due to the plate spring 33, the junction member 32, with the hot andcold water inlets 31 and 104, is normally biased downwardly as describedabove. Therefore, the bottom surface of the junction member 32 isbrought into close contact with a circular depression 101, which isformed in the tap body 1 and is provided with hot and cold water holes102 and 103 as will be described later herein. The inner-threaded rearend of the tap body 1 is closed by an outer-threaded plug 38, thusdefining a horizontal pipe part 120 in the rear portion of the tap body1. The above plug 38 has a driver groove 39 on its outside surface. AnO-ring 42 is interposed between the rear end of the tap body 1 and theplug 38, thus sealing the gap between the body 1 and the plug 38 andforming a water passage in the tap body 1. In the operation of the tap,city water is primarily introduced into the water passage through thehot and cold water holes 102 and 103 of the depression 101 and passesthrough the hot and cold water inlets 31 and 104 of the junction member32 prior to being discharged from the tap body 1.

A rotatable handle 37, having a stud bolt 36 at its bottom, is mountedto the top of the rotating shaft 34 at the outside of the tap body 1,with the bolt 36 being threaded into the top of the shaft 34. In the tapbody 1, the hot and cold water holes 102 and 103 of the depression 101and the hot and cold water inlets 31 and 104 of the junction member 32are arranged on a concentric circle. Therefore, the opening area of eachof the hot and cold water holes 102 and 103 is controlled by anassociated inlet 31 or 104 of the junction member 32 in accordance withthe rotating angle of the handle 37.

The tap body 1 is also provided with a buoyancy-operable lever 20 forselectively pushing the hook block of the hand lever 20 due to buoyancy,thus automatically closing the outlet port 6 when the water bowl 48 isfilled with water discharged from the outlet port 6. The above lever 20has a pushing part 18 at one end thereof and is hinged to the tap body 1by a pin 19 in the cavity 17, which is formed in the lower portion ofthe tap body 1 by a shielding member 70. The lever 20 also has a throughhole at the other end thereof, thus allowing a push rod 44 of a floatingmember 45 to be connected to the lever 20. After the push rod 44 isfitted into the through hole of the lever 20, a bolt 21 is screwed tothe lever 20, thus detachably connecting the push rod 44 to the lever20. Due to such a bolt 21, it is possible to control the height of thefloating member 45 in a water tank 46.

The above water tank 46 is connected to the discharge pipe 60, providedon the bowl 48 of a washing stand, through a connection pipe 49, thusallowing the floating member 45 to be vertically movable in the tank 46due to gravity and buoyancy in accordance with the water level in thebowl 48.

An annular seat 58 is interiorly formed in the above discharge pipe 60.A plug member, comprised of upper and lower plugs 55 and 56 integratedinto a single structure, is seated on the annular seat 58 with anannular packing 57 being interposed between the lower plug 56 and theannular seat 58. The upper plug 55 is normally positioned in thedischarge port of the bowl 48 and has two or more through holes, thusallowing water to normally flow from the bowl 48 into the tank 46through the connection pipe 49 and making the water levels in the tank46 and the bowl 48 be equal to each other. Meanwhile, the lower plug 56is a solid member with a center slot being formed at the bottom surface,thus normally closing the discharge port of the bowl 48 unless the plugmember is lifted by a user. In order to manually operate the plugmember, a rod 59 is tightly fitted into the center slot of the lowerplug 56, thus vertically extending from the lower plug 56 downwardly toa predetermined length. Coupled to the lower end of the above rod 59 isone end of a horizontal longitudinal lever 64. The above lever 64 has aball part 63 at a position close to the rod 59. The ball part 63 of thelever 63, which is received in an inner-threaded bush 61 through a balljoint, is covered with a rounded packing 62, thus being watertightlysealed in the bush 61. The opposite end of the lever 64 is coupled tothe lower end of a vertical push rod 54, which is provided at theoutside the tap body 1 and is selectively operated by a user so as tolift the plug member and open the discharge pipe 60. An adjusting bolt53 is screwed to the end of the lever 64 so as to selectively tightenthe push rod 54 in the lever 64, thus allowing the length of the pushrod 54 to be manually adjustable.

FIGS. 1B and 2B are views showing the construction of a flow control tapsuitable for use with a bathtub in accordance with the second embodimentof this invention. In the tap according to the second embodiment, thegeneral shape of the tap body 1 remains the same as in the primaryembodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B and further explanation is thus not deemednecessary, but the tap body 1 additionally has the following structure.

That is, an inner-threaded vertical pipe 27 is formed on the tap body 1at a position opposite to the outlet port 6 and is interiorly providedwith an annular seat 22 at a middle portion thereof. A valve 24, havinga valve stem 25, is interiorly seated on the annular seat 22 with anannular packing 23 being interposed between the seat 22 and the valve24. The valve stem 25 passes downwardly through both the annular packing23 and the annular seat 22. Thereafter, a hollow set bolt 26, holding avertical hose 28, is screwed upwardly into the inner-threaded pipe ofthe tap body 1, with the top end of the bolt 26 coming into closecontact with the bottom surface of the annular seat 22. An O-ring 43 isinterposed between the bolt 26 and the inner-threaded vertical pipe 27.The vertical hose 28 is tightly fitted into the set bolt 26, with thelower portion of the hose 28 completely surrounding the valve stem 25. Afirst magnet 29 is mounted to the lower end of the valve stem 25, whilea second magnet 50 is mounted to the lower end of the shielding member70. The two magnets 29 and 50 are appropriately positioned so as toselectively and magnetically attract each other.

In the second embodiment, the configuration of the buoyancy-operablelever 20 is altered to allow the hose 28 to pass through the middleportion of the lever 20. That is, the lever 20 has an annular part atits middle portion and allows the hose 28 to pass through. The other endof the lever 20 extends to the outside of the tap body 1 different fromthe primary embodiment and is connected to a push rod 44 using anadjusting bolt 21. The lower end of the push rod 44 is provided with afloating member 45, which is received in a water tank 46.

The above water tank 46 is connected to a bathtub 48 through aconnection pipe 49, thus having the same water level as that of thebathtub 48. Therefore, the floating member 45 in the tank 46 isselectively lifted or lowered due to buoyancy or gravity in accordancewith the water level in the bathtub 48 and operates the lever 20.

FIGS. 1C and 2C show the construction of a flow control tap suitable foruse with a kitchen sink in accordance with the third embodiment of thisinvention. In the third embodiment, the general shape of the tap body 1remains the same as in the second embodiment of FIGS. 1B and 2B andfurther explanation is thus not deemed necessary, but the rear and lowerportions of the tap body 1 is altered as follows. That is, a horizontalpipe part 120 is formed in the rear portion of the tap body 1, while avalve housing 52, having an interior annular seat 65, is horizontallyinstalled in the horizontal pipe part 120. An annular packing 51 isinterposed between the valve housing 52 and the pipe part 120. A valve71, having a valve stem 72, is seated on the annular seat 65 with thevalve stem 72 axially extending through the valve housing 52. A packing66 is interposed between the annular seat 65 and the valve 71. Theinner-threaded rear end of the tap body 1 is closed by an outer-threadedplug 38 with an O-ring 42 being interposed between the tap body 1 andthe plug 38. The plug 38 has a driver groove 39 on its outside surface.

A rotatable liquid discharge pipe 73, having a bent configuration withboth a vertical portion and a horizontal portion, is rotatably fittedinto the vertical pipe 27 of the tap body 1 at the vertical portion. Thetop end of the vertical portion of the rotatable pipe 73 has a U-shapedvertical slit. In order to connect the rotatable pipe 73 to the verticalpipe 27, a set bolt 69 is fitted over the vertical portion of therotatable pipe 73. In addition, a coupling ring 68 is fitted over anannular groove of the pipe 73. In such a case, the set bolt 69 ispositioned under the coupling ring 68. Thereafter, the set bolt 69 isupwardly screwed into the inner-threaded vertical pipe 27, with thevalve stem 72 engaging with the U-shaped slit of the rotatable pipe 73.A first O-ring 43 is interposed between the set bolt 69 and the verticalpipe 27, while a second O-ring 67 is interposed between the rotatablepipe 73 and the vertical pipe 27 at a position above the coupling ring68.

In the tap of FIGS. 1C and 2C, the configuration of thebuoyancy-operable lever 20 is altered to allow the vertical portion ofthe pipe 73 to pass through the middle portion of the lever 20 in thesame manner as that described for the second embodiment. That is, thelever 20 has an annular part at its middle portion and allows the pipe73 to pass through. The above tap is preferably installed on a kitchensink 48 with the rotatable pipe 73 horizontally extending under the tapbody 1. The above pipe 73 is freely and manually rotatable in oppositedirections and selectively discharges water into the kitchen sink 48when the valve 71 is opened. On the other hand, the water tank 46, whichreceives the floating member 45, is communicates with the sink 48through a connection pipe 49, thus having the same water level as thatof the sink 48. Therefore, the floating member 45 is selectively liftedor lowered due to buoyancy or gravity in accordance with the water levelin the sink 48 and selectively operates the lever 20.

FIG. 2D shows the construction of a flow control tap suitable for usewith a shower device in accordance with an embodiment of this invention.In this embodiment, the general shape of the tap remains the same as inthe embodiment of FIG. 2C, but the rear port of the tap body 1 isaltered as follows. That is, a valve housing 52, having an interiorannular seat 65, is horizontally installed in a horizontal pipe part120, which is formed in the rear portion of the tap body 1. An annularpacking 51 is interposed between the valve housing 52 and the pipe part120. A valve 71, having a valve stem 72, is seated on the annular seat65 with the valve stem 72 axially extending through the valve housing52. The valve 71 is normally biased to the rear end of the tap body 1 bya coil spring 89. In addition, a packing 66 is interposed between theannular seat 65 and the valve 71. The inner-threaded rear end of the tapbody 1 is closed by an outer-threaded plug 38, with an O-ring 42 beinginterposed between the tap body 1 and the plug 38. The plug 38 has adriver groove 39 on its outside surface. In order to selectively operatethe valve 71, the tap body 1 has a cooperation means for operating thevalve 71. In the embodiment of FIG. 2D, the cooperation means comprisesa cylindrical magnet 76, which is fitted over the rear end of the valvestem 72 in the valve housing 52.

In addition, a push rod 85,. having a magnet 90 at its top end, isupwardly inserted into the lower vertical pipe 27 of the tap body 1,with the magnet 90 being movably positioned in the vertical pipe 27.After the magnet 90 is received in the vertical pipe 27, the lower endof the pipe 27 is closed by a plug 84, thus preventing the magnet 90from being unexpectedly removed from the vertical pipe 27. The twomagnets 76 and 90 are arranged so as to magnetically attract each other.

An upper vertical pipe 77 is formed on the tap body 1 at a positionabove the horizontal pipe part 120 and has an interior annular seat 121.A connection pipe 80, which is used for the purpose of connecting thetap body 1 to a separate device such as a shower device, is verticallyfitted into the upper vertical pipe 77 with the lower end of the pipe 80being seated on the annular seat 121. After fitting the pipe 80 into thevertical pipe 77, a cap nut 78 is screwed onto the outer-threaded topend of the vertical pipe 77, thus fixing the position of the pipe 80 inthe tap. An O-ring 79 is interposed between the top end of the verticalpipe 77 and the cap nut 78. A shower device 83 is connected to the topend of the pipe 80 through a conventional manner. A faucet head 81 ismounted to the tip of the shower device 83 using a cap nut 82.

The lower end of the push rod 85 is hinged to one end of a foot lever 88through a pin 86. A fulcrum 87 is put under the foot lever 88.

FIG. 2E shows the construction of a flow control tap suitable for usewith a shower faucet in accordance with another embodiment of thisinvention. In this embodiment, the general shape of the tap remains thesame as in the embodiment of FIG. 2D and further explanation is thus notdeemed necessary , but the cooperation means is altered as follows. Thatis, the two magnets 76 and 90 are removed from the tap body 1. Insteadof the two magnets 76 and 90, a push rod 85 is inserted into an internalpipe 122 of the lower vertical pipe part 27 with an O-ring 92 beinginterposed between the rod 85 and the internal pipe 122. The top end ofthe push rod 85 has a transverse slot 91 at which the valve stem 72 isconnected to the push rod 85.

FIGS. 1E, 1F and 2F show the construction of a rotatable eccentricunion, which is provided at a side of the tap body 1 so as to controlthe vertical position of the outlet port 6. As shown in the drawings,the union 96 has an inlet port 123 at its lower end and is connected toa first water supply pipe 109 at the inlet port 123 through a balljoint. One end of the pipe 109 forms a ball part 112, which has aplurality of discharge ports 111 and hexagonal ports 117. The ball part112 is movably received in the inlet port 123 of the union 96, thusforming the ball joint between the water supply pipe 109 and the union96. A packing 110 is interposed between the ball part 112 and the inletport 123. After the ball part 112 is received in the inlet 123, theinlet port 123 is closed by a plug 114 with a packing 113 beinginterposed between the inlet port 123 and the plug 114. Meanwhile, thetop end of the union 96 forms an outlet port 124 and is connected to asecond water supply pipe 118 at the outlet port 124 through a balljoint. One end of the pipe 124 forms a ball part 130, which has aplurality of discharge ports 131 and hexagonal ports 133. The ball part130 is movably received in the outlet port 124 of the union 96, thusforming the ball joint between the second water supply pipe 118 and theunion 96. A packing 125 is interposed between the ball part 130 and theoutlet port 124. After the ball part 130 is received in the outlet port124, the outlet port 124 is closed by a plug 129 with a packing 127being interposed between the outlet port 124 and the plug 129. In thesame manner as that described for the plug 114 provided at the lower endof the union 96, the plug 129 has a driver groove 128. The position ofthe above eccentric union 96 relative to the tap body 1 is referred toFIGS. 1B, 1C, 1G and 2C.

As shown in FIG. 2G, the tap body 1 has a cold water cavity 119, whichis connected to the mixing cavity 132 through the cold water hole 103.The tap body 1 also has a hot water cavity 126, which is connected tothe mixing cavity 132 through the hot water hole 102. Cold water isdischarged from the cold water cavity 119 into the mixing cavity 132through the cold water hole 103, while hot water is discharged from thehot water cavity 126 into the mixing cavity 132 through the hot waterhole 102. In the mixing cavity 132, cold water is mixed with hot waterprior to being discharged from the cavity 132 through either the outletport 6 or the vertical pipe 27.

As best seen in FIG. 2H, the junction member 32, with discharge ports100 and 107 and the hot and cold water inlets 31 and 104, is normallybiased downwardly by the spring 33 and so the bottom surface of thejunction member 32 is brought into close contact with the circulardepression 101 having the hot and cold water holes 102 and 103. In sucha case, the hot and cold water holes 102 and 103 of the depression 101and the hot and cold water inlets 31 and 104 of the junction member 32are arranged on a concentric circle. The center of each of the two holes102 and 103 is positioned on the diameter of the concentric circle. Thedistance between the two holes 102 and 103 is longer than that of thetwo inlets 31 and 104, thus allowing the amount of hot water to be equalto that of cold water when the handle 37 is rotated to its neutralposition.

As shown in FIG. 1G, the outer shoulder 13 of the lever 9 is wide at itsright-hand surface and is narrow at its left-hand surface, thus beingtapered. In the same manner, the pushing part 18 of the lever 20 isnarrow at its right-hand surface and is wide at its left-hand surface,thus being tapered.

The operational effect of the above water tap will be describedhereinbelow with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3I. Of course, it should beunderstood that the tap of this invention may be preferably used forcontrolling the flow of another liquid such as oil or gas in place ofwater without affecting the operational effect of the tap.

FIGS. 3A and 3I show the operation of the tap of this invention usedwith a washing stand 48.

When the handle 15 of the tap is primarily pushed back as shown by thearrow in FIGS. 3A and 3I, the lever 9 is moved clockwise around thevalve operating end 11 of the lever 9, thus lifting the valve stem 5 andopening the valve 4. Therefore, water is discharged from the tap throughthe outlet port 6.

When the pushing force is removed from the above handle 15, the parts ofthe tap are automatically returned to their original positions due toinexhaustible natural energy, such as gravity, hydraulic pressure,frictional force and elasticity. Therefore, the outlet port 6 isautomatically closed.

Meanwhile, when the primarily pushed handle 15 of FIGS. 3A and 3I isfurther pushed in the same direction, the outer shoulder 13 is caught bythe stopper 115, thus allowing the opened position of the valve 4 to becontinued even when the pushing force is completely removed from thehandle 15. Therefore, water is continuously discharged from the outletport 6.

On the other hand, when the handle 15 in the above state is manuallypulled forward, the outer shoulder 13 is forcibly separated from thestopper 115, thus allowing the parts of the tap to be returned to theiroriginal positions due to inexhaustible natural energy, such as gravity,hydraulic pressure, frictional force and elasticity. Therefore, theoutlet port 6 is automatically closed.

When the handle 15 is fully pushed back and is stopped at a positionwith the outer shoulder 13 being caught by the stopper 115 as describedabove, the water level in the bowl 48 is raised and makes watercontinuously flow into the tank 46 through the connection pipe 49, thusraising the water level in the tank 46. Therefore, the floating member45 in the tank 46 is lifted due to buoyancy as shown by the arrow ofFIG. 3A and rotates the lever 20 clockwise using its push rod 44.

When the lever 20 is rotated clockwise as described above, the pushingpart 18 of the lever 20 is moved to the front as shown by the arrow ofFIG. 3A, thus pushing the shoulder 13 of the lever 9 to the front.Therefore, the shoulder 13 is automatically removed from the stopper115, thus allowing the parts of the tap to be returned to their originalpositions and closing the outlet port 6.

In the operation of the above tap, water passes through the magnet 30,filled with the filtering material 135, prior to being discharged fromthe outlet port 6. Therefore, the water is effectively magnetized,filtered and purified.

When the vertical push rod 54 is pushed downwardly so as to empty thebowl 48, the plugs 55 and 56 are lifted, thus opening the discharge portof the bowl 48 allowing water to be discharged from both the tank 46 andthe bowl 48 through the discharge pipe 60. In such a case, the floatingmember 45 is automatically lowered and allows the parts of the tap to bereturned to their original positions.

In the operation of the above tap, the temperature of water dischargedfrom the tap is controlled as follows.

When the handle 37 is rotated to its neutral position as shown in FIG.3A, the cold water hole 103 is half opened by the cold water inlet 104,while the hot water hole 102 is half opened by the hot water inlet 31 asshown in FIGS. 3G and 3H. In such a case, cold water is introduced fromthe cavity 119 into the cold water hole 103, while hot water isintroduced from the cavity 126 into the hot water hole 102. The coldwater is mixed with the hot water into warm water at the discharge ports100 and 107 of the junction member 32.

Meanwhile, when the handle 37 is rotated clockwise, the opening area ofthe cold water hole 103 is gradually enlarged by the cold water inlet104. However, the opening area of the hot water hole 102 is graduallyreduced by the hot water inlet 31. Therefore, the amount of cold waterpassing through the cold water hole 103 is more than that of hot waterpassing through the hot water hole 102, thus causing the mixed water atthe discharge ports 100 and 107 of the junction member 32 to have a lowtemperature. On the other hand, when the handle 37 is rotatedcounterclockwise, the opening area of the cold water hole 103 isgradually reduced by the cold water inlet 104, while the opening area ofthe hot water hole 102 is gradually enlarged by the hot water inlet 31.Therefore, the amount of hot water passing through the hot water hole102 is more than that of cold water passing through the cold water hole103, thus causing the mixed water at the discharge ports 100 and 107 tohave a high temperature.

FIG. 3B shows the operation of the tap of this invention used with abathtub 48.

The operational theory of the tap of FIG. 3B is equal to that describedfor the embodiment of FIGS. 3A, 3G, 3H and 3I and further explanationfor the operational theory is thus not deemed necessary. The tap of FIG.3B is operated as follows.

When the vertical hose 28 is primarily pulled to the front as shown bythe arrow of FIG. 3B, both the magnet 29 and the valve stem 25 areleaned to the same direction, thus opening the valve 24 and allowingwater to be discharged from the hose 28.

When the pulling force is removed from the above hose 28, both themagnet 29 and the valve stem 25 are returned to their original positionsdue to gravity and hydraulic pressure, thus automatically closing thevalve 24 and stopping the discharge of water.

However, when the primarily pulled hose 28 is further pulled in the samedirection, both the magnet 29 and the valve stem 25 are further leanedto the same direction and so the magnet 29 magnetically attracts theother magnet 50. Therefore, the opened position of the valve 24 iscontinued and allows water to be discharged from the hose 28.

When the pulling force is removed from the above hose 28, the magnet 29is continuously stuck to the other magnet 50, thereby allowing water tobe continuously discharged from the hose 28 regardless of the pullingforce being removed from the hose 28.

In order to stop the discharge of water, it is necessary to swing thehose 28 when the pulling force is removed from the hose 28. In such acase, the magnet 29 is effectively separated from the magnet 50.Therefore, the parts of the tap are returned to their original positionsdue to gravity and hydraulic pressure, thus automatically closing thevalve 24 and stopping the discharge of water.

The tap of FIG. 3B may be used with a shower device being connected tothe lower end of the hose 28. In such a case, the tap starts todischarge water from the hose 28 with the shower device being pulled andstops the discharge of water with the pulling force being removed fromthe shower device.

FIG. 3C shows the operation of the tap of this invention used with akitchen sink 48.

The operational theory of the tap of FIG. 3C is equal to that describedfor the embodiment of FIGS. 3A, 3G, 3H and 3I and further explanationfor the operational theory is thus not deemed necessary. The tap of FIG.3C is operated as follows.

When the rotatable liquid discharge pipe 73 is rotated in a direction soas to move the valve stem 72 clockwise, the valve 71 is opened andallows water to be discharged from the pipe 73.

Meanwhile, when the rotatable pipe 73 is rotated in the oppositedirection so as to move the valve stem 72 counterclockwise, the valve 71is closed and stops the discharge of water.

FIG. 3D shows the operation of the tap of FIG. 2D, used with a showerdevice.

The operational theory of the tap of FIG. 3D is equal to that describedfor the embodiment of FIGS. 3A, 3G, 3H and 3I and further explanationfor the operational theory is thus not deemed necessary. The tap of FIG.3D is operated as follows.

When a user presses the foot lever 88 with his foot, the push rod 85 islifted, thus moving the magnet 90 upwardly as shown by the arrow of FIG.3D. Therefore, the two magnets 76 and 90 magnetically attract eachother, thus opening the valve 71 and allowing water to pass through boththe pipe 80 and the shower device 83 prior to being discharged from thefaucet head 81. On the other hand, when the pressing force is removedfrom the lever 88, the parts of the tap are returned to their originalpositions, thus closing the valve 71 and stopping the discharge ofwater.

FIG. 3E shows the operation of the tap of FIG. 2E, used with a showerdevice.

The operational theory of the tap of FIG. 3E is equal to that describedfor the embodiment of FIGS. 3A, 3G, 3H and 3I and further explanationfor the operational theory is thus not deemed necessary. The tap of FIG.3E is operated as follows.

When a user presses the foot lever 88 with his foot, the push rod 85 islifted, thus moving the valve stem 72 upwardly as shown by the arrow ofFIG. 3E. Therefore, the valve 71 is opened, thus allowing water to passthrough both the pipe 80 and the shower device 83 prior to beingdischarged from the head 81. When the pressing force is removed from thelever 88, the parts of the tap are returned to their original positions,thus closing the valve 71 and stopping the discharge of water.

FIG. 3F shows the operation of the eccentric union 96 use forcontrolling the vertical position of the outlet port 6 of the tap. Inorder to adjust the position of the outlet port 6, the plug 114 isslightly loosened, with the water supply pipe 109 being positionedhorizontally. Thereafter, the union 96 is pulled to a direction as shownby the arrow in the drawing prior to tightening the plug 114. Therefore,the top portion of the union 96 is leaned forward and makes the outletport 6 move to its front and lower position.

Meanwhile, when the union 96 is pushed to the opposite direction priorto tightening the plug 114, the top portion of the union 96 is leanedback and makes the outlet port 6 move to its rear and upper position.

On the other hand, the position of the outlet port 6 may be controlledby adjusting the position of the second water supply pipe 118 relativeto the union 96. That is, when the second water supply pipe 118 ispushed upwardly as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3F prior to tightening theplug 129, the outlet port 6 of the tap moves to its upper position.Meanwhile, when the second water supply pipe 118 is pulled to theopposite direction prior to tightening the plug 129, the outlet port 6of the tap moves to its lower position. Therefore, it is possible toeasily adjust the position of the outlet port 6 of the tap whennecessary.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention provides a tap used forcontrolling the flow of liquid such as water, oil, or gas. The liquidcontrol tap of this invention is provided with a valve, which iseffectively operated using inexhaustible energy, such as gravity,hydraulic pressure, buoyancy, magnetic force, frictional force, orelasticity. In the tap of this invention, a connection pipe, which isused for the purpose of connecting the tap body to a separate devicesuch as a shower device, is integrated with the rear portion of the tapbody into a single structure, thus simplifying the construction of thetap and reducing the number of parts of the tap. Due to such a simpleconstruction of the tap, the present invention simplifies themanufacturing process and improves productivity, and reduces themanufacturing cost of liquid flow control taps. The tap is also easilyassembled, thus improving work efficiency while being assembled. The tapis freely operated to allow water to be instantaneously discharged priorto being stopped, to be continuously discharged prior to being manuallystopped, or to be continuously discharged prior to being automaticallystopped, thus being very convenient to users. The tap of this inventionis also provided with an eccentric union for controlling the verticalposition of the outlet port of the tap. Due to the union, the verticalposition of the outlet port can be easily adjusted when necessary, thusbeing convenient to users. Another advantage of the tap of thisinvention resides in that the tap effectively prevents liquid loss, thusconserving liquid.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid flow control tap, comprising: a tap bodyhaving both a liquid outlet port and a lower opening and defining aliquid passage therein; a hand lever movably engaging with said tap bodyin order to selectively open the outlet port, said hand lever including:a handle and; a hook block provided at one end of said handle andreceived into said lower opening of the tap body, said hook block beingmovably caught by a stop shoulder of the tap body and; a valve operatingend provided at the other end of the handle being interiorly seated onthe outlet port of the tap body; an outer-threaded member brought intoengagement with the outlet port, thus holding the valve operating end ofthe lever in the outlet port of the tap body; a spring-biased valvemovably seated on an annular step provided in the liquid passage of thetap body, with a valve stem of the valve extending toward the outletport and being seated on said valve operating end of the lever, saidvalve being selectively opened by the lever so as to discharge liquidfrom the outlet port; a hollow cylindrical magnet arranged in the liquidpassage of the tap body, with one end of the magnet being seated on saidvalve at a position opposite to the valve stem, said magnet beingadapted for magnetizing the liquid prior to discharging the liquid fromthe outlet port; a liquid junction member movably positioned on a hotand cold liquid inlet part of the liquid passage of the tap body, saidjunction member being adapted for mixing cold liquid with hot liquidinto a mixed liquid while controlling the temperature of the mixedliquid; a rotating shaft engaging with both said liquid junction memberat the interior of the tap body and a rotatable handle at the exteriorof the tap body, thus selectively rotating the junction member relativeto the hot and cold liquid inlet part in accordance with a rotatingmotion of the rotatable handle while controlling the temperature of themixed liquid; a buoyancy-operable lever having a pushing part at one endthereof and interiorly hinged to said tap body by a pin in said openingof the tap body, said buoyancy-operable lever being adapted forselectively pushing the hook block of the hand lever so as to close theoutlet port of the tap body; a vertical push rod connected to both theother end of said buoyancy-operable lever at its upper end and afloating member at its lower end; and a liquid tank receiving saidfloating member therein and connected to a liquid bowl containing liquiddischarged from the outlet port of the tap body, thus allowing the pushrod with the floating member to selectively operate thebuoyancy-operable lever in accordance with a liquid level in said liquidbowl.
 2. The liquid flow control tap according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a vertical pipe formed on the tap body at a positionopposite to said outlet port and interiorly provided with an annularseat; a second valve interiorly seated on the annular seat, with a valvestem of the second valve extending downwardly; a vertical hose hinged tosaid vertical pipe through a set bolt and concentrically surrounding thevalve stem of the second valve; a first magnet mounted to the lower endof the valve stem of the second valve; and a second magnet mounted tosaid shielding member at a position suitable for allowing a first magnetto selectively and magnetically attract to the second magnet.
 3. Theliquid flow control tap according to claim 1, further comprising: ahorizontal pipe part formed in the rear portion of said tap body; avalve housing horizontally installed in said horizontal pipe part, saidvalve housing having an interior annular seat; and a spring-biasedsecond valve seated on said interior annular seat of the valve housing,with a valve stem of said second valve axially extending through thevalve housing.
 4. The liquid flow control tap according to claim 3,further comprising: a rotatable bent pipe cooperating with said secondvalve so as to selectively discharge liquid from the tap bodytherethrough, said rotatable bent pipe having a U-shaped slit at the topend thereof and being upwardly and rotatably fitted into the rearportion of the tap body, with both the top end of the rotatable bentpipe being positioned in said valve housing and said U-shaped slit ofthe rotatable bent pipe being brought into engagement with the valvestem of the second valve, thus allowing the second valve beingselectively opened in accordance with a rotating motion of the rotatablepipe.
 5. The liquid flow control tap according to claim 3, furthercomprising: a second vertical push rod upwardly and movably insertedinto the rear portion of the tap body and cooperating with the valvestem of the second valve through cooperation means, said second push rodbeing hinged to a foot lever at its lower end, thus selectively openingsaid second valve in accordance with a levering motion of said footlever; an upper vertical pipe part formed on said tap body at a positionabove the horizontal pipe part and having an interior annular seat; aconnection pipe used for the purpose of connecting the tap body to aseparate device, said connection pipe being vertically and downwardlyfitted into said upper vertical pipe part with the lower end of saidconnection pipe being seated on the interior annular seat of the uppervertical pipe part; and a cap nut screwed onto said upper vertical pipepart, thus fixedly mounting said connection pipe to the tap body.
 6. Theliquid flow control tap according to claim 5, wherein said cooperationmeans comprises: a first magnet mounted to said valve stem of the secondvalve; and a second magnet mounted to the top end of said secondvertical push rod, thus selctively attracting said first magnet inaccordance with a levering motion of said foot lever so as to open thesecond valve.
 7. The liquid flow control tap according to claim 5,wherein said cooperation means comprises: a transverse slot formed onthe top end of said second vertical push rod and engaging with the valvestem of the second valve, thus allowing the second valve to beselectively opened in accordance with a levering motion of said footlever.
 8. The liquid flow control tap according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a rotatable eccentric union provided on said tap body andadapted for controlling the vertical position of said outlet port of thetap body; and a liquid supply pipe rotatably connected to each end ofsaid eccentric union through a ball joint, thus being selectivelyrotatable around the ball joint and allowing the vertical position ofthe outlet port of the tap body to be adjusted, said ball joint beingformed by a ball part of the liquid supply pipe having a plurality ofdischarge ports and hexagonal ports.